Insulator clevis



Oct. 31, 1939. M w T N 2,177,816

INSULATOR CLEVI S Filed Dec. 1, 1936 Patented Oct. 31, 1939 UNITED STATE.

east enrich j Application December 1, 1936, Serial No. 113,721

4 Claims.

This invention relates to insulator clevises, and is an improvement over the structure shown in the patent to Herbert E. Miller, No. 2,053,729, granted September 8, 1936.

Ihe vpatent referred to discloses an insulator clevis which has-come .into rather general use because of its simplicity and long life. Such device comprises a flexible insulator-embracin member having its ends adapted for connection to each otherby a yoke formed of complementary sections, one of such sections. having a socket and the other having a head adapted to be arranged in said socket. Under the strain to which such device is normally subjected, the separation of the elements is effectively prevented.

In the structure of the patent referred to, the flexible element is formed of a metallic cable the individual strands of which are preferably copper coated and the ends of the flexible member are butt welded to the ends of the respective complementary yoke sections. Such construction has a very desirable advantage in that the flexible cable adjusts itself to the shape of the insulator therein, thus eliminating excessive pressure at different points on the insulator.

An important object of the present invention is to provide an insulator clevis having all of the advantages of the patented construction referred to but which is simpler in construction and more economical to manufacture.

A further object is to provide a clevis of the character referred to embodying a pair of complementary members forming the yoke thereof and engageable in interlocking relationship with each other, both of the complementary members being engageable with the eye of an eye bolt or similar element to hold them in interlocking relationship in use.

A further object is to provide a device of this character having one yoke member provided with a keyhole slot and the other with a head insertable into the keyhole slot, the eye bolt or similar means employed for anchoring the clevis being engageable with both yoke members to maintain one of said members in the smaller end of the keyhole slot and to maintain the head of the latter member in snug engagement with the outer face of the member in which the keyhole slot is formed.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent during the course of the following description.

In the drawing I have shown one embodiment of the invention. In this showing:

Figure 1 is a face view of the device shown in position with respect to a supporting element, the latter being shown in section,

Figure 2 is an edge elevation, and,

Figure 3 is a section on line 33 of Figure 1.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the numeral Ill designates a flexible insulator-embracing element. This element preferably is in the form of a cable made up of steel strands, and the individual strands may be copper coated to prevent corrosion of the cable. This element is similar to the 10 corresponding element of the patent referred to.

It will be apparent that the flexible element is adapted to embrace an insulator and to lie within the groove provided for this purpose.

A yoke indicated as a whole by the numeral l l 15 is connected in a manner to be described to the flexible element it. This yoke is made up of a pair of complementary sections l2 and [3, the former of which may be circular in cross-section throughout its length. The yoke member i2 is 1) provided with lower o inner end E l slightly curved with respect to the body of the member l2. This curvature of the end of the member H2 is provided in order that the end face of such member may be adapted to squarely engage 25 against the adjacent end of the element Ill to be butt welded thereto.

The yoke member E3 has a similar curved end portion which is preferably circular in crosssection, and the extremity of such curved portion 30 is butt welded to the adjacent end of the element it, as described above in connection with the corresponding end of the member l2. This arrangement of the ends of the yoke members has the additional advantage of providing a direct end- 35 wise pull at the points where the ends of the element it are welded to the yoke members, thus eliminating any angular pull at the welded joint.

Aside from the end 55, the yoke member I3 is preferably substantially rectangular in cross-sec- 40 tion, the upper face of the upper portion of the member is being fiat as indicated by the numera1 it; (Figure 3). The upper portion of the yoke member is substantially widened as at iii to provide for a circular opening l9, and this open- 45 ing communicates at its upper end with a narrower opening 28. It will be apparent that the openings it and form a keyhole slot for a purpose to be described.

The upper end of the yoke member l2 is provided with a head 25 which is slightly smaller in diameter than the opening I9 to permit its insertion therethrcugh. As previously stated, the yoke member it is preferably circular in crosssection, and as shown in Figure 3, the diameter of ment of one yoke member with respect the yoke member I2 is approximately equal to the diameter of the opening 29 to permit it to lie therewithin. While the circular construction of the member l2 and opening 20 are preferred, it is not essential that such shape be employed, and the same is true with respect to the opening l9 and head 2i. The respective elements referred to however, should be correspondingly shaped to permit the head iii to be inserted through the opening It, and to permit the portion of the member l2 beneath the head 2| to fit within the opening When the parts are assembled as shown in the drawing, they are adapted to be supported by any suitable element commonly employed for taking up the strain in a device of this character. For example, an eye bolt 2?. may have its shank 23 extending through a pole arm or other support with the eye 2 3 of the bolt extending through the clevis, the yoke l l extending through the eye 24, in the manner shown in Figures 1 and 2.

The operation of the device is as follows:

When the yoke members are disconnected from each other, they may be pulled apart to open the flexible element ill to permit the insertion of a conventional insulator therein, the sides and looped end of the cable being receivable in the groove provided for this purpose in the insulator. The yoke members l2 and then he moved together within the eye 2% or other supporting ring or the like, the head 2! being inserted through the opening Hi. When the head 24 has been completely inserted through the opening I9, the adjacent end of the member ii. may be moved longitudinally with respect tothe member l3 to arrange the portion of the yoke member 52 adjacent the head 2! "ithin the reduced opening 26. With the parts in such position, the head 25 is adapted to overlie the portions of the yoke member I3 surrounding the opening 20.

With a wire or cable connected to the insulator in the usual manner, the clevis will be placed under a longitudinal strain, as will be apparent. When in operative position, therefore, it will be obvious that the portion of the eye it or similar supporting element which lies within the yoke II will engage against both of the yoke members l2 and iii. The strain under which the insulator and the clevis are maintained, therefore, performs two functions in maintaining the yoke members in proper relation with respect to each other. In the first place, the pressure of the eye 25 against the yoke member l2 maintains the upper end of this member in engagement with the portion of the opening 20 remote from the opening it, thus preventing the head 2! from moving to a position in alinement with the opening Hi. In the second place, the pressure of the member 2 against the inner face of the yoke member l3 maintains this member in snug engagement with the under side of the head. Thus it will be apparent that all play is taken up between the parts to maintain them in tight engagement with each other, and displaceto the other is positively prevented.

It will be apparent that the greatest transverse dimension of the yoke l2, as viewed in Figure 1, may be made substantially less than the width or thickness of the insulator, thus permitting the manufacture of the yoke members with a minimum amount of material without sacrificing any strength in the device. The curved ends it and I5 preferably have their end faces at right angles to the axis of the adjacent ends of the flexible element ill, between the insulator and the yoke, so as to eliminate any angular pull at the points where the yoke members are welded to the cable. When the device is under load, the eye 2 exerts a force on the line of pull and approximately at 45 with respect to the crossed portions of the members l2 and I3. According- 1y these members are not only pulled in the direction of pull of the eye 24, but in View of their angularity with respect to the eye, the latter generates resultant forces acting to tend to spread the elements it and 93. These forces exerted on the members it and lil retain the portion of the member I! adjacent the head 2% in the closed end of the reduced opening 26 and act to hold the head 2! in firm engagement with the adjacent face it of the member l3.

It will be apparent that the members l2 and it are provided with portions which interlock or inter-engage, with the members l2 and I3 lying at an angle to each other. It also will be noted that the inside angle between the members l2 and ill is bisected by a line through the of pull on the clevis. Accordingly it will be apparent that the eye or ring engages with equal force against the members l2 and i3.

rom the foregoing it will be apparent that the present device is extremely simple in construction and that it requires a minimum amount of material in its formation, thus permitting the device to be economically manufactured. The device obviously may be very readily assembled and disassembled by virtue of the use of the head 2| on the member l2 and the keyhole slot in the member l3.

It is to be understood that the form of the invention herewith shown and described is to be taken as a preferred example of the same and that various changes in the shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. An insulator clevis comprising a flexible element adapted to embrace an insulator, a pair of members each secured to one end of said flexible element and adapted to assume operative positions crossing the line of pull on the insulator substantially at right angles to each other, the

crossed portions of said members being respectively provided with a keyhole slot and a shank portion engageable in said keyhole slot and provided at its end with a head engageable with the member in which said keyhole slot is formed.

and a supporting member having a portion exbisected by the line of pull on the insulator, and

a supporting element arranged in the angle between and engaging both of said members and adapted, when subjected to its normal pull, to

exert force against said members tending to spread them apart on opposite sides of the line of pull on the insulator, said members having portions interlocking when said members are in operative position, such portions having their interlocking engagement with each other increased by the exertion of said force.

3. An insulator clevis comprising a flexible element adapted to embrace an insulator and having opposite portions normally parallel to each other and parallel to the line of pull on the insulator, a pair of members each secured to one end of said flexible element and adapted to assume operative positions crossing the line of pull substantially at right angles to each other and diverging in the direction of the flexible element at equal angles with respect to line of pull, and a supporting member arranged in the angle between and engaging both members and adapted to be subjected to a pulling force in said line of pull, the members of said pair having portions constructed and arranged to interlock when in operative position with such portions movable toward interlocking relationship by forces acting against said pair of members when said supporting member is subjected to said pulling force.

4. An insulator clevis comprising a flexible element adapted to embrace an insulator and having opposite portions normally parallel to each other and parallel to the line of pull on the insulator, a pair of members each secured to one end of said flexible element and adapted to assume operative positions crossing the line of pull substantially at right angles to each other and diverging in the direction of the flexible element at equal angles with respect to the line of pull, and a supporting member arranged in the angle between and engaging both of said pair of members for simultaneously exerting force thereagainst to tend to spread them with respect to the line of pull when a pulling force is transmitted to said supporting member in said line of pull, one member of said pair having an opening therethrough at right angles thereto, the other member having a portion projecting through said opening and provided with a head at right angles thereto engaging said first named member when the members of said pair are in operative positions.

MILLARD W. W'ERTMAN. 

